British Birdwatching Fair 2008

The WLT team at the Birdfair: From left to right: Jonelle Hemmans (Programme for Belize), Mark Gruin (WLT), Vladamir Rodiguez (Programme for Belize), Kelly Jacobs and Lorienne Parker (WLT), Lee Dingain and Rachel Walls (REGUA), Hugo de Castillo (Guyra Paraguay).

Rutland Water, Oakham,
15, 16 & 17 August 2008

It was another successful year at the British Birdwatching Fair on the shores of Rutland Water, Oakham as the sun managed to shine and the rain held off throughout much of the weekend.

World Land Trust staff had the opportunity to talk to many visitors about the work being done to conserve habitats around the world and protect the species within them.

WLT were joined on their usual stall in Marquee 4 by representatives from project partners Guyra Paraguay, Programme for Belize and REGUA from Brazil, who where able to offer more in depth information about their specific conservation projects and the opportunities for visiting these sites through the tourism initiatives they have set up. Funds raised through sensitive tourism is a major source of income for the sustainability of each of the reserves.

Thank you to everyone who came along, we hope we can count on your continued support throughout the year and look forward to seeing you again at the 2009 Birdfair when WLT will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary.

Comments

WLT received this positive report on the Birdfair from our Brazilian partners, REGUA:

This year the Birdfair celebrates its 20th anniversary. REGUA was represented on the World Land Trust stand again this year, by volunteers Rachel, Lee and Martin. The Birdfair was a massive success with more people visiting the stand than last year. We had lots of interest from tour operators and independent groups, many of whom had heard of REGUA beforehand. We were also really pleased to be greeted by past visitors and supporters. Many of whom gave very positive feedback on the new website.

The stand displayed a new poster which drew in the crowds with people even asking if we had copies for sale! The photo album was again a huge success attracting people to the stand. This year, we managed to include more information about the conservation projects which many people showed a great interest in. A flyer giving a suggested 5 day itinerary for birdwatchers also generated a great deal of interest, giving potential visitors to REGUA an idea of what birds they may see and what day excursions are on offer.

We also received excellent feedback from past visitors to REGUA, complimenting both Adilei and Leonardo. Many people asked for Nicholas and suggested a talk by him on REGUA at the Birdfair would be a fantastic idea!

The Biggest Twitch, during their talk, referred to REGUA as "one of the best conservation projects they have seen." This was great publicity for us and resulted in several people coming to our stand eager to hear more about us.

REGUA also received invaluable publicity with regard to the international conservation issue chosen for the fair this year which was 'Preventing Extinctions: Saving the World's Critically Endangered Birds.' Currently 189 bird species are Critically Endangered (CR) - on the brink of extinction. Two of bird species, namely the Rio de Janeiro Antwren and Kinglet Calaptura mention REGUA as a place where these birds may still be found. Furthermore, REGUA is possibly one of the last places the RJ Ant wren was seen. This just goes to further show how critical the reserve is.

All in all we felt the Birdfair was very worthwhile, with more people visiting the stand this year as they had heard about us from friends, work colleagues and through recommendation. The good word is spreading!